At the recent Australian launch of the 992 Series 2 (992.2) Porsche 911, the brand's executives repeatedly used the words 'social acceptance' to describe consumer sentiment toward their latest creation.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
The Porsche 911 has always played a fine balance of being a supercar (or super sports car) while not looking overly ostentatious like a Ferrari or Lamborghini. The German brand seems to believe that it's now a key pillar in its customer messaging.
The new 992.2, featuring the brand's first performance-oriented hybrid system in a 911 model, has been met with a mixture of intrigue and scepticism. Many purists had written the vehicle off due to its electrification.
Hundreds of new car deals are available through CarExpert right now. Get the experts on your side and score a great deal. Browse now.
Porsche's newly developed "T-Hybrid" system is at the heart of this model. Unlike traditional plug-in hybrids, the 992.2 doesn't offer electric-only driving.
Instead, it uses electric assistance to enhance performance while maintaining the car's conventional flat-six engine note.
Frank Moser, vice president of the 911 and 718 product lines, explained that the goal was to improve responsiveness and lower emissions without sacrificing driving character.
"The 911 is always reinventing itself," Mr Moser said, "but we aim to keep the DNA intact."
Social acceptance, often an overlooked factor in sports car design, was a priority in the 911's development. According to Mr Moser, "You're always well-dressed in a 911."
But that certainly didn't reflect the public sentiment when the vehicle was first announced as initial social media reaction, mainly when hybridisation rumours surfaced, was far from forgiving.
Mr Moser admitted that the team received criticism from purists who feared the car would become a heavy, plug-in hybrid.
"That was not a nice time," he said. "People didn't yet understand what we were building."
However, Mr Moser claims customer and media feedback after driving the vehicle have since softened these concerns.
The flat-six engine in the Carrera GTS has grown from 3.0 litres to 3.6 litres, lost one of its two turbochargers, and gained a new T-Hybrid system.
The T-Hybrid works through the addition of an electric exhaust gas turbocharger, which sees an integrated electric motor placed between the compressor and turbine wheel to eliminate turbo lag, as well as acting as a generator, contributing as much as 11kW.
The 992.2 GTS is noticeably quicker faster than its predecessor. With a combined power output of 398kW and 610Nm, it does the 0-100km/h sprint in just 3.0 seconds (0.4 seconds faster than the 992.1 GTS) and is 8.7 seconds quicker around the Nürburgring Nordschleife race track.
Despite added hybrid components, weight gain is minimal, increasing only by 50kg compared to the previous model.
Essentially, Porsche's hybrid model allows for lower emissions and substantially more performance.
The team confirmed the hybrid system was designed exclusively for the 911, ruling out simple retrofitting into other Porsche or Volkswagen engines.
While the future of widespread hybridisation across the 911 range remains undecided, the T-Hybrid's reception suggests Porsche may expand its use if demand persists.
Other high-performance 911 models, such as the Turbo, Turbo S, and we suspect even the GT2 RS will all utilise hybridisation for increased performance.
Ultimately, the 911 992.2 appears to strike a delicate balance between heritage and future readiness. As Mr Moser summarised, "It's an icon that evolves – but never forgets where it came from." But is it a socially acceptable supercar?
MORE: Everything Porsche 911
Content originally sourced from: CarExpert.com.au
